Quick action lock boxes

Okay, in attempting to comply with a promise I made to my wife(no loaded guns that aren't locked up in some manner once our daughter gets mobile) I am on the prowl for some form of quick action gun safe.

I have seen several of them, they usually have a digital key pad on the top or side, hold one or two guns, and can be mounted to various pieces of furniture or the walls.

I am just wondering if anyone has a favorite, and more inmportant, do they pass the 'It's 2am, and I don't have my glasses on, can I still get it open' test.

You might also check Academy Sports, if there is one near you or www.wholesalehunter.com for the Mini or MultiVault.

Scott

hammer4nc

February 16, 2003, 10:38 AM

I bought two minivaults from wholesale hunter, they run clearance sales (auctions) on gunbroker.com from time to time.

I am very happy with the product. Answer "yes" to your question...the contoured keypad (shaped like your hand, has only four buttons/ one under each finger) lets you open it by touch, in complete darkness, in just a few seconds. You program it with your own combo keypad sequence. You can also open it with a key, if you forget the combo, or if the batteries die.

I keep one in the nightstand. To discourage someone from walking off with it, I attached a kryptonite cable to the back, and bolted the other end of the cable down. One of the two units I bought has the optional "motion sensor" alarm. You can adjust the sensitivity of the motion sensor, or turn it off if desired. Some people have bolted these units into trucks or vans, where it can double as a burglar alarm for the vehicle, of sorts. It might be a feature worth looking at.

Hope this info helps!

Dave Markowitz

February 17, 2003, 08:17 PM

I also have one of the Minivaults for the same reason as you. If you have to lock up your house gun, it's the way to go, IMO.

jthuang

February 18, 2003, 06:03 PM

Take a looksee at the R&D Enterprises Handgun Box:

http://www.handgunsafe.com

1. Simplex lock -- no batteries to die at an inopportune moment. Easy to work in the dark; I've done it many times.

2. Seamless construction -- more resistant to pry attacks.

3. Recessed door -- again, more resistant to pry attacks.

If the rec.guns FAQ is still alive, you can read the review I wrote of the Handgun Box. I am not affiliated with R&D Enterprises in any way.

Justin

Onslaught

February 19, 2003, 11:45 AM

Ditto the R&D. That's what I use. It lives up to it's name... it's built like a tank! When mounted properly, the "handgun safe" will protect your firearm from more than just "curious hands". (i.e. burglary). I ruined 2 drill bits trying to add an extra hole in the back to add an eyebolt so I could cable it to stuff.

Check the weight of one of these, and compare it's weight to another brand of similar size.

1/4" steel be heavy!

DT Guy

February 24, 2003, 02:07 PM

The R&D products surpass everything I've seen so far, and are the only small boxes that actually approach the kind of security you get from a safe.

I doubt I'll ever buy anything else.

Larry

Billy Sparks

February 25, 2003, 08:18 AM

I have a Multigun in the house and a R&D products safe in the truck. Pros on the Multigun are that it holds everthing I want it to. Easy to set the combination, well made, very easy to open in the dark or without looking at it. Cons on it it does use batteries which do die, there is a key override. Pros on the R&D gun safe is that it is built like a tank and no batteries. Cons, when I got mine I tried to change the combination I was unable to reset it and had to send the lock mechanism back to R&D for replacement. Also it is not as easy to tell what button your fingers are on in the dark.

ed from pa

February 27, 2003, 09:08 PM

R&D builds their simplex handgun safes like tanks. Indestructable, yet easy access to guns. A well made product, would recommend this safe to anyone. Good insurance and investment.

ed from pa

larryw

February 28, 2003, 12:39 AM

I looked at both the Handgunsafe and Gunvault. Both are great products. I went with the GunVault simply because it fit how and where I wanted to mount it better. IMO, you can't go wrong with either.

Kahr carrier

March 2, 2003, 08:59 AM

The Canon handgun lock box is interesting ,It has a 5 button simplex lock that you can set . It has 2 holes so you can bolt it down.:D

hammer4nc

March 2, 2003, 09:27 AM

For the sake of more choices, I just came across a new product, "versavault" being sold by smith and wesson:

Link:http://www.smith-wesson.com/products/versavault/versavault.htm

Looks interesting...maybe someone who owns one of these can chime in?
http://www.smith-wesson.com/products/versavault/images/versavault_sm.jpg

Abe

March 24, 2003, 01:25 PM

To follow up on this thread...I just played with one of these S&W Versavaults. They are very well made but IMHO there are three problems with it:

1) It won't work real well in a confined space (i.e. under a bed) as it opens like a clamshell. In order to use the included gun holder it would have to open 8-10 inches at least. You can remove the gun holder and just lay it in the bottom to overcome this problem to some extent.

2) The servo\solenoid that opens the lock makes a rather loud noise. While it may not be louder than chambering a round it's noise nonetheless. :D

3) In playing around with it I found that after you open it up it seems to take 30-40 seconds for the lock to "reset". If you open it up and then close it again, it wouldn't accept the code to open again until 30-40 seconds had passed. The shop owner was with me and he said it must take a little time for the lock to reset. Seemed odd to me. Not that you'd likely close it right after you opened it but who knows what could happen. I'd hate to have to wait what could turn out to be an eternity to get a chance to re-open it. Of course you could always use the manual override key but then what's the point of having a keypad lock??

Even though the S&W was a fair bit cheaper than the Handgunsafe I'm going to get the Handgunsafe. It will work way better for my application. Placing my order this afternoon.

- Abe

DT Guy

March 24, 2003, 04:24 PM

I'm sure you'll like the Handgun safe. Instant lock, nearly instant unlock. As quiet as any metal box can be.